Screens are often used to prevent everything except air from entering through windows when the window panes are in open positions. Screens are also used in conjunction with doors for similar reasons. Screens are effective in preventing bugs and small animals from entering a structure. However, screens are ineffective in preventing a potential intruder, human or animal, from entering the structure when the window pane or door is left open. Also, screens are ineffective in preventing most projectiles from breaking through a screen and entering the structure.
Existing screens for windows and doors are typically constructed of aluminum frame segments and fiberglass, metal wire, or nylon screens. A typical screen frame has four segments which are joined together to form a rectangle. Each of the segments has a rectangular cross-section with an axial groove in the interior side of each segment for accepting and securing the screen. The ends of the adjoining segments are typically secured together with brackets positioned inside the segments. The interior brackets are generally screwed or bolted in place, providing gaps where the ends of adjoining segments abut at the corners.
After the correct size screen frame is positioned in a window frame or door frame, a sheet of screen is cut to fit the screen frame. Normally, the area of the screen is larger than the interior area of the screen frame so that when the screen is placed in the frame, the edges of the screen can be placed in the axial grooves. A rubber strip having a diameter or thickness roughly equal to the width of the axial groove is forced into the axial groove to secure the screen in the frame. Extraneous screen material is then cut off and discarded.
While existing screen frames and screens are inexpensive, they offer very little in the way of rigidity or protection against damage by projectiles, intruders, and the elements. First, such screens are constructed out of materials that have inferior characteristics compared to metal screens. Fiberglass or nylon screening can be easily cut or torn and, therefore, offers very little resistance to a potential intruder or a projectile. In addition, the frame segments are made from a material which can be readily destroyed and which offer little resistance to external pressure applied during forcible removal or entry through a window frame. Finally, the frame corners where the screen frame segments are joined, are insufficiently sturdy to offer protection against damage. Consequently, windows and doors cannot be left unlocked and/or open without exposing the occupants to a real threat of intrusion from people and animals. Therefore, existing screen frames and screens are incapable of providing the desired level of safety required in modern society.
Second, the materials used to make existing screens and screen frame segments render the screen frames and screens subject to deterioration from the sun, wind, and rain. This deterioration is especially problematic in areas near the ocean where salt water in the air is very corrosive.
The inferiority of existing screen frames and screens makes them uneconomical in the long run. It is not uncommon in some environments that screen frames and screens deteriorate so badly that they must be replaced very often. Also, wear and tear and general deterioration make the screens unsightly and aesthetically unpleasing. As a consequence, great expense is required to maintain existing screens in an operable condition. Finally, existing screens have very little recyclable material making their disposal problematic.
Therefore, needs exist for a long-lasting and cost-effective screen frame and screen that is sturdy and durable and that overcomes the above mentioned problems inherent in existing screen frames and screens.
While there are numerous methods and apparatus for screening windows and doors, none are known to have an equivalent structure to, or to function in the manner of, the present invention.